Urban Sales
Urban Sales is a Paris-based international arthouse film sales company founded in 2004 that acquires worldwide rights to independent and auteur cinema and licenses them to territorial distributors globally, operating as part of the founder-led Urban Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Urban Sales does
Urban Sales is a Paris-based international sales company specializing in arthouse and independent cinema, founded in 2004 by Frédéric Corvez (formerly of Sony Pictures International, Canal+, MK2, and Celluloid Dreams). The company acquires worldwide distribution rights to films by both emerging and established filmmakers whose work is distinguished by innovation and originality, then licenses territorial rights to local distributors across global markets for theatrical, VOD, and TV exploitation. Its slate of 100+ titles is represented at the major international film markets — Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, San Sebastián, and Annecy — and has accumulated recognitions including a Göteborg Best First Film award, a Karlovy Vary Audience Award, and selections at Cannes ACID, Berlin Official Selection, and TIFF.
The business operates as part of a vertically integrated group of related companies: Urban Sales handles international rights sales; Urban Factory (founded 2009) manages domestic production and international co-productions; Urban Distribution (founded 2011) handles French theatrical releases; and Urban Boutiq provides a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel for catalog titles. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, bootstrapped (no external funding rounds disclosed), and operates with a small core team of approximately seven people led by Corvez as President. Revenue is generated through transaction-based licensing fees paid by territorial distributors, with pricing varying by territory and title and not publicly disclosed. The group has no stated AI, software, or technology platform capabilities beyond standard web and e-commerce properties.
Urban Sales firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban Sales
- Legal name
- Urban Distribution International
- Website
- https://urbandistrib.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Urban Sales is a Paris-based international arthouse film sales company founded in 2004 that acquires worldwide rights to independent and auteur cinema and licenses them to territorial distributors globally, operating as part of the founder-led Urban Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban Sales industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Film Sales and Distribution
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Sales & Licensing (Territory Pre-Sales) (MPADAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring (MPADAAAK)
Keywords
Where Urban Sales is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Urban Sales business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- International Film Sales: Acquires worldwide distribution rights to arthouse films and resells territorial rights to distributors in different markets. Revenue generated from licensing fees paid by territorial distributors for exhibition rights.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Urban Sales product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban Sales is an international arthouse film sales company that acquires worldwide distribution rights to independent and arthouse films, then licenses territorial rights to local distributors, festival programmers, and exhibition venues across multiple continents. The company represents promising young filmmakers and renowned directors whose films distinguish themselves through innovation and originality, managing the full international sales cycle from acquisition through festival premieres to territorial deals.
Product overview
Urban Sales (formerly Urban Distribution International) is a film sales company founded in 2004 by Frédéric Corvez that specializes in international arthouse film distribution. The company operates as a unified portfolio consisting of Urban Sales for international rights sales, Urban Distribution for French theatrical releases, Urban Factory for production and co-productions, and Urban Boutiq for direct-to-consumer film sales. Together, these entities cover the full value chain from film acquisition through international sales to theatrical distribution and consumer retail.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- International Arthouse Film Sales Core service through which Urban Sales acquires worldwide distribution rights to independent and arthouse films, then licenses territorial rights (theatrical, VOD, TV) to local distributors in different countries and markets.
- French Theatrical Distribution Domestic theatrical distribution service for France, handling local theatrical releases of arthouse films acquired and represented by the Urban Group in the French market.
- Film Production and Co-Productions Independent production service dedicated to domestic production and international co-productions within the Urban Group ecosystem.
- Direct-to-Consumer Film Sales (Urban Boutiq) Online shop for purchasing films and related merchandise directly, extending the Urban Group's distribution reach to direct retail sales.
Quantifiable outcome
- Films successfully sold to major territories including France, Germany, UK, US, Brazil, and others
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Urban Sales
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Urban Sales technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Urban Sales partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cannes ACIDcoreUrban Sales acquired international sales rights to 'Under A Bad Star' which was announced as the opening film of Cannes parallel section ACID
- Urban BoutiqcorePart of the Urban Group of companies. Urban Boutiq is the company's e-commerce storefront for selling films directly to consumers and professionals.
- Urban FactorycoreFounded in 2009 by Frédéric Corvez, Urban Factory is an independent company dedicated to domestic production and international co-productions. Related entity under Urban Group umbrella.
- Urban DistributioncoreFounded in 2011 by Frédéric Corvez for theatrical distribution in France. Related entity under Urban Group umbrella.
- GomediaminorPart of the Urban Group ecosystem of companies.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Urban Sales competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Loco Films: Paris-based international sales agent for arthouse films. Directly comparable because Florencia Gil previously served as Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Loco Films; the firm sells the same kind of auteur titles at the same festival markets (Cannes, Berlin, Toronto) as Urban Sales.
- Indie Sales: Paris-based international sales agent focused on arthouse cinema. Directly comparable as Head of International Sales Florencia Gil previously ran sales and acquisitions at Indie Sales, and the firm competes head-to-head for the same filmmaker clients and territorial buyers as Urban Sales.
- Celluloid Dreams: Paris-based international sales agent founded by Hengameh Panahi, specializing in arthouse and auteur cinema. Directly comparable because founder Frédéric Corvez previously worked at Celluloid Dreams, and the firm operates the same international rights-selling model for arthouse films to territorial distributors worldwide.
- Wild Bunch: Major Paris-based international sales and distribution company. Directly comparable as a leading European sales agent handling arthouse and auteur films for international rights, though larger in scale and broader in genre than Urban Sales.
- Rezo Films: Paris-based international sales and distribution company for arthouse cinema. Directly comparable as a competitor at major festival markets; Florencia Gil previously worked in acquisitions and marketing at Rezo Films.
- Films Boutique: Berlin-based international sales agent for arthouse cinema. Directly comparable because it acquires worldwide rights to independent films and licenses them to territorial distributors at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and other major festivals, overlapping with Urban Sales' core business.
- Playtime: Paris-based international sales, production, and distribution group. Directly comparable because it acquires and sells international rights to arthouse and independent films at major festivals, competing with Urban Sales for the same filmmaker pool and territorial buyers.
- The Match Factory: Cologne-based international sales agent representing arthouse and festival cinema. Directly comparable as it sells territorial rights at the same major festivals to the same international distributor base, competing for many of the same high-end European auteur projects.
Broad incumbents
- StudioCanal: One of Europe's largest film studios and sales/distribution companies, owned by Canal+. Comparable as a broad incumbent with international sales operations selling rights to films across all territories; founder Frédéric Corvez previously worked with Canal+ via Equinoxe.
- MK2: Major French arthouse film group covering production, sales, theatrical distribution, and exhibition. Comparable because Frédéric Corvez previously directed MK2's TV department; MK2 is a much larger, vertically integrated incumbent operating across the same value chain that Urban Group occupies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urban Sales social profiles
Digital presenceUrban Sales financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban Sales leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Urban Sales subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Urban Sales funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban Sales M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urban Sales
What does Urban Sales do?
Urban Sales is an international arthouse film sales company that acquires worldwide distribution rights to independent and arthouse films, then licenses territorial rights to local distributors, festival programmers, and exhibition venues across multiple continents. The company represents promising young filmmakers and renowned directors whose films distinguish themselves through innovation and originality, managing the full international sales cycle from acquisition through festival premieres to territorial deals.
Is Urban Sales a public or private company?
Urban Sales is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Urban Sales founded?
Urban Sales was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Urban Sales based?
Urban Sales is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Urban Sales make money?
One revenue line is on record: international Film Sales.
Who are Urban Sales's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Loco Films, Indie Sales, Celluloid Dreams, Wild Bunch, Rezo Films, Films Boutique, Playtime and The Match Factory. Broad incumbents are StudioCanal and MK2.
Does Urban Sales have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban Sales.
What industry is Urban Sales in?
Urban Sales's product category is International Film Sales and Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAJAC, International Sales & Licensing (Territory Pre-Sales), with a secondary code of MPADAAAK, Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring. Its NAICS code is 51212 and its SIC code is 7822.